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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
There's nothing really new about this book, it's the classic main character who is very good at magic has to fight the Big Evil that's tearing the forever-in-a-war-world apart. That said, it's a fun read and while I didn't feel emotionally attached to any of the characters, I liked reading about them.
This was a quick, entertaining read. This is a solid 2.5 star.
Not bad, but not good either, it just didn't quite quite grab me. The writing style was not my cup of tea, I failed to connect with the characters, I failed to dive into the story, and most of the time I felt like I was just reading a handful of short stories that had been amassed together to form a novel, but didn't quite gel. It was really not my thing
I read this book some time ago and only mildly recollect it. I *think* I read the sequels as well but, again, I don't really remember.
I know this review seems unhelpful but it really showcases how unmemorable it really is. I don't remember if I liked it, I don't think I hated it either so it's getting 3 stars from me.
I know this review seems unhelpful but it really showcases how unmemorable it really is. I don't remember if I liked it, I don't think I hated it either so it's getting 3 stars from me.
Not for me. Myranda was your typical instantly-good-at-everything, all-good-no-bad, couldn't-possibly-be-a-real-person character. The writing was lackluster and had too much of the every day stuff - eating, sleeping, walking. The premise of the story itself was a little flawed - a never-ending war, completely supported by the inhabitants of the world, even though the population is dwindling and the average life expectancy is in the 20s? Meh.
While I enjoyed this book and may eventually pick up the next one, there were enough problems to keep me from truly getting hooked. In particular, the characters' motivations weren't always clear, and they were often clumsily characterized. The dialog often felt stilted, and I found that I often enjoyed myself more when the characters weren't talking!
Pros:
* Likable, if flat, characters
* Interesting magic system
* World I want to explore more
* I want to know what happens next!
Cons:
* Lacking solid character motivations and development
* Editing problems
* Inconsistent pacing
Overall, I'd recommend this book if you can overlook what I listed as the cons, because the pros are definitely there under all the problems.
Pros:
* Likable, if flat, characters
* Interesting magic system
* World I want to explore more
* I want to know what happens next!
Cons:
* Lacking solid character motivations and development
* Editing problems
* Inconsistent pacing
Overall, I'd recommend this book if you can overlook what I listed as the cons, because the pros are definitely there under all the problems.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The Book of Deacon features Myranda, who walks alone through the wintery landscape, with an unknown destiny, it seems. It also seems that, every time she turns around, she is in some kind of trouble, being captured, and, at times, in severe danger of death. She runs into a diverse cast of characters in her journeys, some good, same bad, and some, while helpful, not necessarily good.
The story is slow in development. So slow that I almost didn't make it through the first half of the book. I did, though, and the second half made it worth it. And once Myranda finds Myn, the baby dragon (who may be the most adorable thing I have ever read in a book), it picks up a little bit. And then, when she winds up in the place where she will stay until the end of the tale (or least until the book ends . . . apparently far from the end of the story), things pick up very well.
The characters do become "lovable," along the way. Myranda, Myn, the "malthrope" that she meets up with, of whose name we are never quite certain, and then, finally, Deacon, who leads her through the last half of the story, become quite familiar and, I believe are well-developed. The four Masters with whom she trains in the second half are, in their own ways both lovable and despicable. And Myranda realizes potential that she never thought she had.
What I don't like about the book is that there are no chapters. The only divisions in the book are occasional extra spaces between paragraphs, marked with "#." To me, this made the book read much more slowly, as it seemed like there was never any break in it. It's probably just a psychological thing, but a book with no chapters seems much longer than it really is.
The story is slow in development. So slow that I almost didn't make it through the first half of the book. I did, though, and the second half made it worth it. And once Myranda finds Myn, the baby dragon (who may be the most adorable thing I have ever read in a book), it picks up a little bit. And then, when she winds up in the place where she will stay until the end of the tale (or least until the book ends . . . apparently far from the end of the story), things pick up very well.
The characters do become "lovable," along the way. Myranda, Myn, the "malthrope" that she meets up with, of whose name we are never quite certain, and then, finally, Deacon, who leads her through the last half of the story, become quite familiar and, I believe are well-developed. The four Masters with whom she trains in the second half are, in their own ways both lovable and despicable. And Myranda realizes potential that she never thought she had.
What I don't like about the book is that there are no chapters. The only divisions in the book are occasional extra spaces between paragraphs, marked with "#." To me, this made the book read much more slowly, as it seemed like there was never any break in it. It's probably just a psychological thing, but a book with no chapters seems much longer than it really is.
Not the best written of books, but the story was unique.
While some of the transitions leave me wanting more, the rest of the writing is very good. I could nitpick, but nothing caught my attention so much as to disrupt the flow. In my books that's a sign of a well constructed story. Fantastic work Mr. Lallo.